Plantain

Plantain, growing wild in even the most difficult places, could be the most useful “weed” in your backyard! Known by the same name as the close relative of the banana fruit, Plantain is sometimes called the “band aid” plant and is still used by many indigenous people in north America and northern Europe to treat common skin irritations like insect bites and stings, rashes, burns, eczema and chronic dryness. Thanks to the presence of iridoids, it has a very soothing, anti-inflammatory effect on skin. It also contains aglycone and aucubigenin — which have documented antimicrobial activity – as well as natural allantoin, which increases collagen production and is used in it's synthetic form in most commercial lotions.